1. Cows Are Subjected
to Painful Mutilations Without Painkillers
Farmers burn or saw off the horns of cattle without
anesthetics. This cruel practice, which often leads to infection, is 100
percent legal.
2. One Burger Could
Contain Meat From 100 Cows
The
Washington Post explains that “meat patties aren’t just made from
the muscle tissue of a single animal, but from the fibers of as many as a
hundred cows, or even more. We mix different kinds of cow tissue like one
combines colors on a palette, potentially putting animals that once grazed next
to each other into tightly packed beef discs.
3. Beef Is Murder on
the Environment
Most consumers focus on reducing their CO2 emissions or
their carbon footprints. But methane and nitrous oxide, produced by cattle
digestion and fertilization of soil, respectively, are much more powerful
greenhouse gases. They easily make animal agriculture one of the leading causes
of climate change.
4. Many Dairy Cows
End Up Hamburger Meat
Weak, lame, sick, and injured, “spent” dairy cows
are often brutally electric prodded, beaten, and even dragged before being
slaughtered and processed into ground beef.
5. Feedlots Are
Breeding Grounds for Dangerous Bacteria
On modern farms, antibiotics are used to make animals grow
faster and keep them alive in conditions that would otherwise kill them.
Bacteria can develop resistance to these antibiotics, making it virtually
impossible to treat humans who become infected by these
“superbugs.”
6. Hamburgers
Contribute to Rainforest Destruction
The
World Bank reports that the majority of Amazon deforestation has been
to clear land for cattle grazing and growing feed for farmed animals.
7. No Federal Laws
Protect Cows for the Majority of Their Lives
Unfortunately, not a single federal law protects animals
during their lives on factory farms. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act
pertains to cows and pigs only at the slaughterhouse, providing zero protection
to them for the majority of their lives.
8. Beef Requires a Shocking
Amount of Water
It takes a staggering 2,500 gallons of water to produce just
one pound of beef and 660 gallons of water to produce one hamburger. That’s
enough water for two months’ worth of showers!
9. Your Burger Could Be Made With Pink Slime
This vomit-worthy product is created by treating beef scraps
and cow connective tissue with ammonium hydroxide to kill off E. coli,
salmonella, and other dangerous pathogens that may be present.
10. It Takes 16
Pounds of Grain to Produce Just One Pound of Beef
If that grain were fed to people instead of cows, there’d be
a whole lot more mouths we could feed.
11. Cows Are
Incredibly Smart
Cows have great memories, can learn and respond to their
names, get excited when they solve problems, and love
music! Despite this, factory farmers treat them as meat-producing machines.
—
We can take a stand for animals, the environment, and our
own health by ditching beef and other animal products.
Click here to
order your FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide.